We include a Miriam’s cup in our seder to remind ourselves of the women who were responsible for the creation of the Jewish people: Yocheved, the mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Batya, the Pharaoh’s daughter who saves Moses from the Nile, Miriam, the Prophetess, and Shifra and Puah, the midwives who courageously went against Pharaoh’s edict to kill all first-born Hebrew males. In the desert, mayyim hayyim, the well of Miriam, followed the Israelites throughout their journey while Miriam was alive and among them. Miriam’s Well was said to hold Divine power to heal and renew. Its fresh waters sustained our people as we were transformed from a generation shaped by non-consensual slavery into a free nation.

The ritual created with Miriam’s Cup is the filling of her cup using the water from every participant’s own glass. This not only immediately creates a sense of participation in the seder, it also acknowledges that the presence of each person at the table will add something to the seder.
When Miriam’s Cup is filled by all of us, we are enacting our hope of refilling the magical healing Well through inclusiveness and collectively. 


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: Avadim Chayanu Once We Were Slaves A Seder for the leather community